Take part in program for disposing unwanted prescriptions on Sat.

The Food and Drug Administration must assess the potential environmental impact of a new drug as part of its approval process.

The Food and Drug Administration must assess the potential environmental impact of a new drug as part of its approval process.

When people take medications that are not completely absorbed or metabolized by the body, the medications are excreted, passing through our sewer systems and waste water treatment plants to surface waters such as rivers and lakes. In some cases, trace amounts of chemicals reach community drinking water supplies.

However, both Raanan Bloom, Ph.D., an environmental assessment expert in FDA's Center for assessments, and the Environmental Protection Agency assert that there is no evidence showing that pharmaceutical residues in the environment are causing adverse effects to human health.

So when is it safe to flush unused medications or dispose of them down the sink? The FDA keeps an up-to-date list of medications that can be disposed of in this manner at www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/EnsuringSafeUseofMedicine/SafeDisposalofMedicines/ucm186187.htm.

You can also call your pharmacist for guidance. Many drugs can be thrown out safely in the trash. Mix pills with coffee grinds and place them in a plastic bag with the household garbage. The FDA says, "Depending on the type of product and where you live, inhalers and aerosol products may be thrown into household trash or recyclables, or may be considered hazardous waste and require special handling. Read the handling instructions on the label, as some inhalers should not be punctured or thrown into a fire or incinerator. To ensure safe disposal, contact your local trash and recycling facility."

This is a good time to clean those relics out of your medicine cabinet. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, every year in the United States, more than 71,000 children under the age of 18 go to the emergency room for overdoses of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

A U.S. News & World Report study says that teens say prescription pain relievers are easy to get from their parents' medicine cabinets. Prescription drugs are the second most abused drug after marijuana for 12- to 17-year-olds.

The Drug Enforcement Agency is sponsoring a drug "take-back" day Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at these drop-off locations. It is a free event for Monroe County residents. The last event was held six months ago, and the DEA collected more than half a million pounds of unused medications nationwide.

Office of National Drug Control Policy. Teens and Prescription Drugs: theantidrug.com/pdfs/TEENS_AND_PRESCRIPTION_DRUGS.pdf US News & World Report: Medicines Top Source of Kids' Poisonings: usnews.com/health/managing-your-healthcare/treatment/articles/2009/08/04/medicines-top-source-of-kids-poisonings.html.